26 Weird Animals Around the World

Let’s face it, the world can be an ugly place for weird animals… humans included. From flame wars on social media to heartbreaking stories on the nightly news, humanity’s awfulness can occasionally be overwhelming.

Every once in a while we like to take breaks from stories about poaching, habitat loss, and the effects of global warming to marvel at the incredible array of beauty that still exists on this planet we call home.

And so it is that we present to you 26 Weird Animals (from A to Z)– many of which are endangered– that we believe make this world a more interesting place…

Aye Aye, photographed by Frank Vassen via Creative Commons

AYE-AYE– These endangered nocturnal lemurs from Madagascar have furry gremlin faces, rodent-like teeth and long Crypt Keeper-style fingers used to dig grubs out of wood. Superstitious locals believe these weird animals to be harbingers of evil or death, and will often kill them on sight.

Baird’s Tapir, photo by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett

BAIRD’S TAPIR– Looking like a bizarre cross between a pig, a donkey and a rhinoceros, this cow-sized mammal is an endangered species endemic to Central and South America. One famously attacked the Costa Rican Minister of Environment in 2006.

CHINESE WATER DEER– Water deer are proficient swimmers who live along rivers and islands in China and Korea. But the Chinese subspecies is particularly unusual, with no antlers and prominent tusks that have led to its English nickname, the Vampire Deer.

Dumbo Octopus, photographed by Mike Vecchione via NOAA

DUMBO OCTOPUS– Found only at extreme ocean depths of 10,000 to 13,000 feet, Grimpoteuthis is a genus of umbrella octopus known for prominent ear-like fins that jut out from the top of its body… much like a certain flying elephant from the Walt Disney stable.

Eastern Long-Necked Turtle, photo by Fir002 via Creative Commons

EASTERN LONG-NECKED TURTLE– Like a reptilian giraffe, this aptly-named turtle (found in Australia) has a neck as long as its entire carapace. When threatened, it emits a noxious odor from its musk glands, which has also earned it the nickname “The Stinker.”

Frilled Shark, photographed by Citron via Creative Commons

FRILLED SHARK– One of the most rarely seen weird animals, the Frilled Shark crosses the line into horrific, WTF territory. Found at depths of up to 5,000 feet, this rare “living fossil” is positively prehistoric, with an eel-like bod, six frilly pairs of gill slits, and 300 trident-shaped teeth in 25 rows that allow it to rip through prey like a knife through hot butter. Cute, huh?

Glaucus Atlanticus, photographed by Taro Taylor via Creative Commons

GLAUCUS ATLANTICUS– Commonly known as the blue dragon or blue angel, this inch-long nudibranch is as lethal as it is beautiful. The sea slug preys on the Portuguese Man o’ War and stores venom in its finger-like cerata, producing a sting that causes fever, shock and even death.

HONDURAN WHITE BAT– Also known as the Ghost bat, this tiny (1.5-inch) cutie is one of only two white bat species in the world. They’re found only in the jungles of Central America, often hanging in colonies of up to 6 from the leaves of heliconia plants.

Irrawaddy Dolphin, anonymous photo via Creative Commons

IRRAWADDY DOLPHIN– With their formidable foreheads; short, round faces; and broad, rounded flippers, this Southeast Asian species look like some anime artist’s cartoonish rendering of a dolphin. Interestingly, their genetic make-up is closely related to the killer whale.

JAPANESE SPIDER CRAB– Speaking of Japanese art, this crazy creature– whose legs can span 12 feet in length, weight up to 42 pounds, and crawl like a creepy oceanic spider– looks like something that might attack Tokyo in the next Godzilla movie.

Kakapo photographed by MNolf via Creative Commons

KAKAPO– One of the world’s most critically endangered species (with a known population of 126), New Zealand’s “Owl Parrot” is an undeniable oddity– large, flightless, nocturnal and ground-dwelling, weighing up to 9 pounds at maturity.

LOWLAND STREAKED TENREC– Genetically, the Tenrec is like a cross between a shrew, an opossum and an otter, with a 5-6 inch body, long snout and vestigial tail. Found only in the rainforests of Madagascar, its bright yellow stripes and barbed quills signal danger for predators, especially when the Tenrec vibrates them.

Mantis Shrimp, photographed by Silke Baron via Creative Commons

MANTIS SHRIMP– It may look like a cross between a crayfish, a praying mantis and a colorful parrot, but the Mantis Shrimp is not to be trifled with: Its raptorial appendages move so quickly, they literally boil the water around them, producing shockwaves strong enough to kill prey.

Nutria, photographed by Petar Milošević via Creative Commons

NUTRIA– A large semi-aquatic rodent also known as the coypu or river rat, the nutria has front legs for excavating roots, rhizomes and burrows, and webbed hind feet to aid in swimming. to me they look like the R.O.U.S. from The Princess Bride.

Olinguito, photographed by Mark Gurney via Creative Commons

OLINGUITO– This teddy bear-looking cutie is actually from the raccoon family, discovered in the Andes of Colombia and Ecuador in 2013. It was the first new carnivorous mammal seen in the Western Hemisphere in 35 years.

PINOCCHIO FROG– Discovered by a Conservation International team in Indonesian New Guinea in 2008, this tree frog’s elongated nose grows rigid and erect when he’s calling to prospective mates, but otherwise remains limp and deflated.

Quokka, photographed by Sean McClean via Creative Commons

QUOKKA- Primarily found on small islands off the coast of Western Australia, this adorable marsupial was originally confused for a wild cat or a giant rat, but actually looks more like a tiny kangaroo (approximately 20-30 inches long).

RED-LIPPED BATFISH- Also known as the Galapagos batfish, this freaky-faced fish is found in the Galapagos at depths of around 30 feet. In addition to its red lips, the batfish (a terrible swimmer) is distinguished by its ability to walk on the ocean floor using its pectoral fins.

Solenodon, photographed by Seb az86556 via Creative Commons

SOLENODON– Found in Cuba and Haiti, these venomous, nocturnal, burrowing insectivores are fascinating to phylogenetic researchers because they closely resemble a species that went extinct near the end of the dinosaur era.

Tarsier, photographed by mtoz via Creative Commons

TARSIER– With a longer fossil record than any other primate genus, fossils suggest the enormous-eyed tarsiers of Southeast Asia haven’t evolved much in 45 million years. The only thing that has changed is their size: Their bodies measure 4-6 inches, with tails twice as long.

VENEZUELAN POODLE MOTH– Discovered in Venezuela’s Gran Sabana region by Kyrgyzstan’s Dr. Arthur Anken in 2009, this fuzzy flier looks like a cross between a poodle and an angora sweater. Its status as a new species has yet to be confirmed.

Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat, anonymous photo via Creative Commons

WOMBAT- Once common in Australia, the Northern Hairy-Nosed Wombat is now critically endangered, found in Queensland’s Epping Forest National Park. With a backwards-opening pouch and teeth that never stop growing, it’s the world’s largest (90 pounds) burrowing mammal. As weird animals go, we think this one’s a cutie!

XENOPUS- Known as the Clawed Frog, this amphibian genus cannot hop, so it crawls long distances to get from one pond to another. It has eyes on top of its head, but no eyelids and cannot move its tongue. When ponds dry up, it may lie dormant for a year.

Yapok, photographed by IMARWXp via Creative Commons

YAPOK- This Latin American opossum is the only animal species in the world in which both sexes have a pouch. The males place their genitalia inside their pouch while swimming (kind of like a banana hammock), which helps streamline their bodies.

Zebra Duiker, photographed by Kispál Attila via Creative Commons

ZEBRA DUIKER– Found in the lowland primary rain forests of West Africa, this tiny (around 30 inches long, weighing 40 pounds) antelope has short, sharp horns and zebra-like stripes that help them hide from the many predators that eat them (including humans). –Bret Love

If you enjoyed our post on Weird Animals Around the World, you might also like:

Love the line about the ugly salamander, guys. Plus it was interesting to learn that there’s more than one Epping Forest. We used to live next to the original one in the UK before going local in Gran Canaria.Gran Canaria Local recently posted..UD Taburiente

How funny is that red-lipped batfish! 🙂 I saw tarsiers when I visited the Philippines – they are definitely the weirdest animals I’ve ever seen.Miriam of Adventurous Miriam recently posted..10 lessons I’ve learned from 1 year of blogging

I never knew these animals existed. Thanks for the share. And for taking the time to educate zoological ignorants like me (Can’t even think how you managed to put together this list:)Mette recently posted..One of the most adorable hill towns in Italy

This post will soon become one of my favourites, to go back to over and over again. I knew about the aye aye and some other oddities like the wombat and tarsier, but when I saw the NUTRIA…. there’s a big colony of them perhaps 10 mins from my house. Everyone hates them – I think they’re awesome!Margherita recently posted..5 Unusual Athens Places

I vaguely remember the story of the Olinguito discovery, thanks for the refresher. It’s uplifting to know that new mammals can still be discovered while other species are wiped away.Bob R recently posted..Project: Ice – Review

Absolutely loved the red lipped bat fish! Looks like a cartoon character. Have to show this list to my 10 y.o. What fascinating creatures- many of which so many of us will never see for ourselves in real life.

I have seen the nutria and the Baird’s tapir, so I feel fortunate to have seen a few of these wacky creatures. That poodle moth is the craziest of them all.Traveling Ted recently posted..5 reasons to ski the Great Bear Chase

A fine list of curious looking creatures! The Aye Aye is really quite cool, but ugly, haha. I’ve been lucky to see a few of these in the wild.Red Hunt recently posted..Wildlife Photo: Galapagos Sea Lion Pup

What an interesting post and list! I’m quite lucky to have seen a few of the above, the latest being the quokka. This list got me so curious I you tube’d Baird’s Tapir – they also resemble abit of an elephant with their “not-quite” trunk 🙂 The Venezuelan poodle moth looks like that kids toy called Furby!Jean | Holy Smithereens recently posted..The Makings of an Award-Winning Airline